Aylmer's Constance-Provost building earns top honour from Quebec's municipal engineers

Tashi Farmilo

The Constance-Provost building, home of the Lucy-Faris library in Aylmer, has won the City of Gatineau the Prix Génie Méritas from the Association des ingénieurs municipaux du Québec (AIMQ), the city announced September 25, crediting the municipal engineering team that steered the complex project from drawing board to opening day.

"A true anchor in the heart of Principale Street, the Constance-Provost building stands as a pillar of the area's vitality, both for the community and the economy," Mayor Maude Marquis-Bissonnette said in French.

The new library has ended years of cramped quarters and temporary arrangements. It replaced Place des Pionniers, a 1987 structure at the corner of Principale and Court streets that was torn down to make way for the new facility. During construction, the library and the Aylmer service centre moved into temporary space at the Galeries Aylmer, 181 Principale Street. The library had long since run out of room: roughly 40 per cent of Aylmer residents held a card, and shelves were running 20 per cent over capacity, which limited the purchase of new material. Even so, Lucy-Faris ranked as the city's second busiest branch, behind only Guy-Sanche.

What replaced it is a three-storey hub combining the library, municipal offices, a public terrace and underground parking. Designed to earn LEED Gold certification, it features green roofs, an indoor garden and active management of its energy use. The library alone covers 2,700 square metres, and it is the only branch in the city's network that opens at 9 am daily, an hour earlier than before.

The award, however, is less about the finished product than how it was built. The city describes the municipal engineer as a conductor, bringing together expertise from across departments through planning, design and construction. Under the coordination of engineer Sébastien Landry, the project drew on about 10 municipal departments and outside firms including In Situ, DMA architectes, EXP and WSP, with Pomerleau as general contractor. A clear separation between the project's business owner and its management team kept coordination smooth throughout, and the building was delivered on schedule and within its authorized budget. The jury singled out the quality of the project management and the rigour of its execution.

For the mayor, the building's success is already visible in the crowds. "The popularity of the space since it opened shows how important it is to invest in quality infrastructure that becomes a real gathering place and a source of pride in our neighbourhoods," she said.